Since the 2011 Arab Spring protests transformed the Middle East, Twitter has
been a vital social media platform worldwide. From clerics to journalists,
businesses and government ministries, Twitter is an information superhighway
for millions of people from Bangladesh to Zambia. Elon Musk’s controversy-filled
takeover of the company puts the future of “world Twitter” in question.
اضافة اعلان
There has been so much focus on how Musk’s changes
will affect the American political debate that the role of the rest of the
world has been overshadowed. This is a vital oversight given Twitter’s
popularity outside of America. The platform that so many have come to depend on
could wither into a sea of unmoderated content spam, and there is little that
anyone can do about it. Could that be a good thing?
This perspective might sound uncomfortably close to
an argument supporting social media platforms as public goods. It is not. There
was never any chance that Twitter or any other social media platform could
become a global public good. Even if the US government (or any government, for
that matter) were to take a more aggressive oversight role in a social media
company, there are simply too many people and cultural norms to moderate to
keep such a platform healthy.
That being said, Twitter’s near future does not look
bright globally. The first thing Musk did as the owner was fire thousands of
workers. This seemingly aggressive move was met with scorn from large parts of
the US media, but in the context of more extensive layoffs across the
technology sector, they do not seem outlandish. The tech sector is too big and
leading companies are shedding tens of thousands of workers.
What concerns the rest of the world is how the
firings have cleaned out entire countries moderation offices. Twitter’s office
in Ghana, the only one on the continent, reportedly has one employee. That
means there is one Twitter employee responsible for all of Africa. Twitter is
extremely popular in Africa, given that it is a text-based service, which does
not require much data like other platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Country offices are vital for localized content
moderation that keeps social media platforms healthy. While Musk might espouse
a militantly “anything goes” free-speech line for Twitter’s future, content
moderation is vital to how social media operates and continues to grow. Social
media companies have invested too little in moderation in many locations, with
sometimes tragic results. Now, remember that Twitter reportedly has one
employee in Africa responsible for all the content coming from the continent.
These companies are designed to collect user information that can be translated into advertising revenue (or state-sponsored snooping, in TikTok’s case). We have been deluded into thinking these platforms are bettering humanity. They are not.
The other less understood aspect of content
moderation is the ability to weed out excessive government influence. Consider
the recent protests in China against the country’s COVID-19 policies. As the
protests gained steam across the country, Chinese hackers were able to flood
Twitter with content spam designed to obstruct accurate updates from
journalists and protestors. The operation went off without a hitch. As Musk
continues to gut content moderation teams across Twitter, such state-sponsored
actions will be easier to carry out and much more frequent.
If there was a repeat of Arab Spring-style protests
somewhere in the world, would activists and journalists flock to Twitter as
they did in 2011? Probably not. Even though Musk exposes a maximalist position
on free speech, he has made it a mission to cut down on anonymity protection
for users through his campaign to purge spam bots from the platform. Musk’s
other companies, such as Tesla, have also received subsidies in the billions of
dollars from governments like the US. Since Twitter is a private company, there
is nothing to stop Musk from handing over any user data he has if his other
financial lifelines were at risk.
To think about the future of Twitter we have to take
a massive step back. This story is not actually about Twitter or Elon Musk. The
saga unfolding with the platform reminds us of our reliance on private
companies that do not operate with our interests in mind. It could be Twitter
today and Facebook tomorrow or TikTok next month. These companies are designed
to collect user information that can be translated into advertising revenue (or
state-sponsored snooping, in TikTok’s case). We have been deluded into thinking
these platforms are bettering humanity. They are not.
If another Arab Spring were to break out tomorrow,
no heir to Twitter would replace it. On the surface, that is not great for
people organizing for a better future, but maybe it is a sign that we need to
think beyond social media. Perhaps the social organizing that needs to take
place must begin with a hard look at our technology habits and over-reliance on
smartphones and social media platforms. Maybe Elon Musk’s tragic Twitter saga
is the exact warning global society needs. Are we up for the challenge?
Joseph Dana is the former senior editor of Exponential View, a weekly newsletter
about technology and its impact on society. He was also the editor-in-chief of
emerge85, a lab exploring change in emerging markets and its global impact.
Twitter: @ibnezra. Syndication Bureau.
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